Bookworm: I Just Finished... For One More Day and Testimony (September 2017)

For One More Day by Mitch Albom

Mitch Albom never disappoints me. For One More Day tells the story of Chick Benetto, a washed-up baseball standout, who has decided to end his life. In attempting to do so, he spends one more day with his deceased mother. The story is told through his own account, alongside chapters that recall times his mother stood up for him and times he did not stand up for his mother. I was sucked into the story immediately and couldn’t put it down. I love the emotion that Albom brings to his writing, and he has such an articulate way of capturing the human experience. Even though it made me ugly cry on more than one occasion, I would highly recommend For One More Day to just about anyone.

Testimony by Anita Shreve

Another recommendation from my coworker and friend, Sharon, that I enjoyed. Testimony tells the story of a sex scandal in a Vermont private school. Three of the school’s star basketball players are involved in a consensual tryst with a 14 year old freshman, considered, by law, to be sexual assault. The incident is filmed leaving the school and those involved vulnerable and volatile. I honestly couldn’t put this one down. The shifting perspectives made it continually engaging, and I found the story to be thought provoking and not the least bit trashy. Like the many other titles by Shreve that I’ve read, I’d highly recommend.